On the right saddle, you can expect to enjoy long lengthy rides while hardly noticing your seat at all. So when we go looking for a saddle, we look for saddles that will provide good sit bone support, some flex, and the perfect balance of padding and stiffness that will not give us hot spots or numbness on longer rides. After coming off other saddles that struggled to stand up to their claims, the Fizik Antares 00 was a welcome change.

Although it’s generally a personal preference, the Fizik Antares 00 fit us well. The saddle measures 274mm long and is 142mm at its widest point. The stiff carbon fiber shell of the 00 is made up of a thin layer of foam sandwiched between two layers of carbon fiber. Giving the 00 the flex that differs it from Fizik’s other Antares models, while providing great support. In our testing, we found the rear of the saddle provided the perfect support for our sit bones. This helped to keep the pressure off other sensitive tissue areas.

The padding on this saddle is more than triple that of the normal 3mm found on Fizik’s other saddles. This proved to be just the right thickness to support our sit bones without allowing us to sink too far into the saddle which would then cause more pressure in the wrong areas.

Fizik designed the nose of the Antares 00 to be wide enough (45mm), for support if you needed to slide forward (for instance riders who like to ride aero bars), but also narrow enough to prevent excessive uncomfortable chafing. Bonus points for not making the edges too sharp either, so thigh chafing was not an issue.

We also liked the Wing Flex design that Fizik has built into the 00 version. The standard Antares does not get the Wing Flex shell which allows a bit more flex within the front “wing” outer edges of the saddle. With the Wing Flex technology, the sides of the saddle move with your legs while the top of the saddle remains rigid. This especially helps to reduce pressure when sliding back on the saddle on longer seated climbs.

The Fizik Antares 00 styling is clean and the weight is low, claimed weight was 135 grams, but ours weighed in at 137 grams, close enough. Considering the saddle has a decent amount of padding, 137g is extremely respectable. The carbon rails are top notch quality, oversized and wrapped with reinforcement tape for extra durability and protection from sharp clamps.

Strengths:
Wing Flex – helps on longer, seated climbs when positioned back on the saddle
Weight – 137g for a saddle with some substance
Styling – clean and simple

Thien Dinh gained most his cycling knowledge the old fashioned way, by immersing himself in the sport. From 2007 to early 2013, Thien served as RoadBikeReview Site Manager, riding daily while putting various cycling products through its paces. A native of California, Thien also enjoys tinkering with photography and discovering new music.

NOTE: There are two ways to comment on our articles: Facebook or Wordpress. Facebook uses your real name and can be posted on your wall while Wordpress uses our login system. Feel free to use either one.